Patron saints

[Office of The Provost <provost@georgetown.edu>]

On various lists, you can find Catherine of Alexandria, Jerome, or
Lawrence listed as the patron saint of librarians.  These are at best
semi-official designations and various saints are found over time to have
diverse interests.  The one I hadn't heard of is reported by the Mars Hill
Graduate School in suburban Seattle, who tell the story of St. Wiborada,
of whom is told a charming tale -- and the charm of the tales is surely
the point of these things:

	St. Wiborada lived as a recluse near the Monastery of Sankt Gallen
	in the 10th century AD.  Sankt Gallen was in the Kingdom of
	Swabia, part of present-day Switzerland.  During the 10th century
	the monastery of Sankt Gallen had one of the most extensive
	library collections in Europe.  In 925 AD Wiborada had a vision
	that the Hungarians would invade Sankt Gallen and that she would
	be martyred.  Wiborada warned the monks, who thereupon hid the
	books, the wine, and themselves in caves in nearby hills.  In May,
	926, the Hungarians arrived to find Wiborada alone in the
	monastery.  They axed her to death while she prayed at the altar.

	In Switzerland St. Wiborada is considered the patron saint of
	libraries.  She is represented holding a book (signifying the
	library she saved) and an ax (signifying her martyrdom).

		http://www.mhgs.edu/library/wiborada.asp

Jim O'Donnell
Georgetown University